Quote:
Originally Posted by BBBB
Ah yes, the freedom to bear arms, wake up guys!
The more available handguns are, the chances of them being in the wrong hands increases. Yes criminals can get whatever they want, but lets not make things easier. Easier access to handguns means that criminals will have a better selection.
Have a look at the issues in the US because of this so called right.
As I stated, its not the average sportsman that ruins things, but easier access and less regulation IMO would be ludicrous.
Watch a few COPS re-runs and see the low life gang bangers that are all packing like the old West. Better yet........ask a few law enforcement officers what their thoughts are??
Gun Deaths - International Comparisons
Gun deaths per 100,000 population (for the year indicated):
Homicide Suicide Other (inc Accident)
USA (2001) 3.98 5.92 0.36
Italy (1997) 0.81 1.1 0.07
Switzerland (1998) 0.50 5.8 0.10
Canada (2002) 0.4 2.0 0.04
Finland (2003) 0.35 4.45 0.10
Australia (2001) 0.24 1.34 0.10
France (2001) 0.21 3.4 0.49
England/Wales (2002) 0.15 0.2 0.03
Scotland (2002) 0.06 0.2 0.02
Japan (2002) 0.02 0.04 0
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I am not sure where your data comes from, but it does look at least ten years out of date. The info I have says Japan and Switzerland have a similar suicide rate, about double that of Canada. In Switzerland, an able bodied male (female too maybe) is required to keep an assault rifle in his house as part of his military duties, in Japan a person can grow old and die and not see a legally owned firearm in the hands of a private citizen. It would appear that firearm ownership has little to do suicide. By the way, the gun control people will tell you since the gun registry was implemented, that gun suicides had fallen and they are right. What they wont tell you is that overall suicide rate continues to rise. This is called a half truth. The US is made up of about 3000 different jurisdictions with each able to set their own laws. This goes from Vermont with almost no specific firearm laws and a murder rate of 4/100,000 to the District of Columbia with one of the most restrictive gun laws in the country and a murder rate of 150/100,000 . I would suggest you read a book called The Samurai, Mountie and the Cowboy written by a man named Kopel. He started out believing in gun control, researched gun laws in different countries around the world, and changed his view point. There is alot of data out there, it can be twisted to support most any view point, the trick is to make sure the right questions are being asked.